Bubble gun



M. LARIN Aug. 13, 1957 BUBBLE GUN- Filed July 1-, 195s This inventionrelates to improvements in bubble producing guns.

A particular object of my invention is to provide ay gun for producingbubbles from the muzzle end thereof with a substantially sealed magazinefor containing a bubble forming liquid and means operable for dispensingpredetermined quantities of the liquid from the magazine to the muzzleend of the gun and foremitting a forced stream of air toward saidorifice whenV the liquid is ldisposed across the path of the air stream.n 1

Another object is to provide an air current for increasing the volumeand velocity of the air stream to thereby increase the bubble productioncapacity of the gun.

A furtherobject is to provide a liquid dispenser which While dispensingpredetermined quantities of liquidV ensures that the liquid containingmagazine is in a sealed condition to prevent leakage from said magazine.

A still further object is to provide a toy gun which is ready at alltimes to produce and eject bubbles therefrom and which is inexpensive tomanufacture and simple to assemble and operate.

A particular feature of my gun is that the muzzle end of the gunisprovided with an arrangement of elements which serve to accumulatesoap liquid in a suitable posi' tion about the ejection orifice forsustained feeding of the liquid into the path of the air streamy so thata larger number of bubbles can be formed during a single operation thanhas heretofore been possible. i i

Another feature consists in the provision of a trigger mechanism havinga compression device which is designed to act against an air storagebulb in such av manner as to substantially completely 'deliate the bulb.

Still another feature consists in the provision of a freely movable ballwithin the muzzle end of thefgun which serves to close the muzzleorilice to prevent leakage of liquid dispensed from the magazine whenthe gun is not in use, said ball also serving to induce the liquid toform a film across the orifice in readiness for an air stream. l

The above and other objects, advantages and features characteristic ofmy invention will be understood more readily from the following detaileddescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which-Fig. l is an elevational view of a gun embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing the interior mechanism in elevation.

Fig. 3 is a sectional View taken along the lines 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional View taken along the lines 4-4 of Fig. l.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the lines 5-5 of Fig. l. v

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 5 indicatesy a shell formedof two complementary half-sections land joined along vertical meetingedges to simulate a configuration of a gun including a hand grip 6, abulb States i atent f housing 7, a barrel 8, a muzzle 9 and a magazine10. The forward edge of the hand grip 6 and lower edge of housing 7,adjacent the magazine 10, is slotted, as indicated at 11 to provide anopening through which a trigger mechanism 12 is swingable. Trigger 12 isprovided with an upwardly extending yoke 14 which is piv otallyconnected to trunnions 15 extending inwardly from the side walls of eachshell half-section for swinging movement of the trigger about ahorizontal axis.

AA rubber bulb 17 'is positioned in the bulb housing 7 of the shellhalfsections with its tubular exhaust-intake end 13 directed toward themuzzle end of the gun and terminating adjacent the rear of the barrel 8.The inner edge of trigger 12 has a substantially heini-sphericalcompression member 19l secured thereto which is adapted to compress thebulb 17 when the trigger is squeezed. The configuration of member 19 issuch that it provides substantially complete deflation of the bulb whenthe trigger is rotated about itshorizontal axis toward said bulb. Bulb17 is provided with an air breathing vent 20 in the sphericalpcrtion'thereof which is closed by contact of the hemi-sphericalcompression member 19 during squeezing of the trigger 12. As soon as thetrigger pressure is released it is returned to its forward position bythe biasing action of return spring 21 permitting air intake throughbreathing vent y20 to accelerate inflation of bulb 17. v

An air expelling tube 22 is mounted in the barrel 8 with one endeccentrically fitted in a plug 23 in the exhaust-intake end k18. Theplug 23 disposes the rear end of expelling tube 23 eccentrically of theend y18 of bulb 17 and the tube is secured inthat position between frontand rear stabilizers 24 which project inwardly from the barrel sidewalls against the tube so as to direct the forward end of the tube inalignment with an expelling orifice 25 in the muzzle 9. The eccentricmounting and the stabilizing of tube 22 tends to prevent rotation of thebulb 17 which would displace the breathing vent 2t) relative to thehemi-spherical member 19. It is important that the vent 20 be closed bymember 19 when the trigger is squeezed to ensure that a maximum amountof air isV expelled under force through the tube 22.

The barrel 8 is provided with series of air vents 27 which are locatedrearwardly of the exhaust end of tube 22. The forward or exhaust end oftube 22 is also positioned adjacent the muzzle 9 but rearwardly of theorifice 25 for a sufficient distance in order that expulsion of air fromtube 22 may create a vacuum around the end of the tube to which air fromthe vents 27 is sucked in a manner which increases the volume andvelocity of the air stream as it travelsv to the oriiice 25. The volumeof air which is thus expelled through the orifice is thereforesubstantially greater than the original volume of air expelled from thebulb 17 and the velocity of the air is greatly accelerated by reason ofthe ow of air from the air vents 27 into the vacuum created by theexpulsion of air from tube 22. Air vents 27 also provide air supply forrefilling bulb 17 which would otherwise draw air through oriiice 25. Itwill be seen that this latter would create an undesirable condition forreasons which will become more apparent hereinafter.

The magazine 10 has a substantially funnel shaped intake opening 29which facilitates the filling of the magazine with a liquid soap withoutspilling same. A suitable stopper 30 is removably fitted in opening 29and may be provided with an extension member 31 and a retaining bar 32which, when the stopper is removed from the opening 29, engages theinner wall of the magazine to retain said stopper in suspension. Themagazine has a horizontal discharge sleeve opening 34 into the muzzleend of the un. A two-way valve, including inner and outer Valve gmembers and 36 at opposite ends of a stem 37, is mounted in sleeve 34.The inner valve 35 has an extension rod 38 which projects rearwardlythrough a closetting orifice in a boss 40 in the rear wall of themagazine. The outer end of rod 38 is provided with a bill hook 41 whichlies across the path of a horizontal hookengaging bar 42 carried by theyoke 14 of trigger 12. A spring 43 around rod 3S between the end wall ofthe magazine and inner valve member 35 normally closes the inner valve35 against the inner end of sleeve 34 and thereby spaces the outer valvemember 36 from the outer end of sleeve 34.

The inner surface of muzzle 9 is provided with a series of steppedcorrugations 44 aroundY the upper and side surfaces adjacent a ball seat45 at the inner end of orifice 25 and a ball gutter 46 alongI the lowersurfaces leading to seat 45 along which a ball 47 is guidedY to seat 45to close the orifice 25.

In order to operate the gun it is first canted, muzzle downwardly, sothat ball 47 travels down gutter 46 into seat 45 to close orifice 25.The trigger 12 is then squeezed to open the inner valve member 35 and toclose the outer valve member 36 so that a quantity of liquid soap fillsthe sleeve 34. When the trigger is released, spring 43 closes valve 35and opens valve 36 permitting the quantity of liquid soap in sleeve 34to ow toward the muzzle`9 so that quantities of soap adhere to thestepped corrugations 44, the gutter 46, around the ball 47, and form afilm across the seat 45 of orifice 25. When the gun is in the downwardlycanted position the ball 47 in seat 45 closes orifice 25 to preventleakage of the soap from the gun. By raising or levelling the gunmuzzle, ball 47 is unseated, rolling down gutter 46 without disturbingthe soap film. The gun is now ready for action and squeezing of thetrigger 12 compresses the bulb 17 to expel a jet of air through tube 22.The air Y from tube 22 together with the acceleration of air from vents27 impinges against the soap film around orifice 25 causing an emissionof up to approximately 30 soap bubbles from the muzzle of the gun. Inthis connection it is pointed out that, as the bubbles are emittedthrough the orifice, the soap film, adhering by capillary action to thecorrugations44, gutter 46, and similar surrounding portions, is drawntoward the orifice from these surrounding portions by the skin action ofthe soap film and bubbles are discharged through the orifice as long asthe forced air is impinging on the soapy lmat the orifice.

The second mentioned trigger action, in addition to expelling airagainst the film of soap around the muzzle oriiice, opens the valve 35to permit filling of sleeve 34. When the bubbles have been' expelledfrom the gun a downward cant of the muzzleprior` to releasing thetrigger will fill the sleeve 34 with` a new supply of liquid. Subsequentrelease of the trigger opens valve36 discharging the liquid soap whichis carried down gutter 46' to where the ball 47 is positioned across theorifice 25. Now the gun is ready for action as previously described. Itwill be appreciated that, since the orifice 25"is usually coated with afilm of soap liquid, it would not be desirable for the air to be drawnthrough the orifice to reinilate the bulb 17. This is overcome by thefact that the barrel 8 is provided with a sufiieientnumber of-vents 27to supply an adequate amount of air to `permitiinfiati'on ofthe bulbwithout breaking the film` over orifice' 25; The breathing vent 2lialsofserves` to accelerate inflation of the' bulb when contact is brokenwith the hemisphe'rical compression member EL When the gun is tiltedwith the muzzle down the ball 47 rests in the seat 45 across the orifice25 and serves as a closure valve to prevent any ofI the liquid soap inthe muzzle ofy the gun from escaping through the orifice. As valve 35 isclosed` the liquid soap in the magazine cannot escape. Thus the gun maybe carried'about without the usual disadvantages. of leakage of-theliquid Acontents normally encountered in guns of a similar type.

The gun may also be used as a water pistol by immersing it in water tocover the vents 27 and orifice 25. Squeezing and releasing the triggerwhile under water will fill the bulb with water. This will not, however,affect the gun as a bubble producer as it will be automaticallyconverted to a bubble gun, ready for immediate action as soon as thewater has been expelled.

What I claim is:

1. A bubble dispensing gun comprising a shell shaped to provide a handgrip section, a bulb housing section located above said hand gripsection, a barrel section extending forwardly of said bulb housingsection, a muzzle section having a discharge orifice in the forward endof said barrel section and a magazine section for containing a bubbleforming liquidv located below said barrel section and rearwardly of themuzzle section; a passage between said magazine and muzzle, closuremeans for said passage between said magazine and said muzzle, saidclosure means being normally biased to retain said liquid in themagazine, a flexible bulb mounted in said housing with its discharge endand expansible portion in alignment with said barrel, said bulb havingits discharge end connected to the rear end of said barrel, acompression means operable within said shell to compress said bulb foremittingV a forced stream of air from said bulb toward said dischargeorifice, and further means connected to said compression means andoperable for actuating said magazine closure means to dispense apredetermined quantity of said liquid from the magazine into the saidmuzzle to formA affilm across said orifice in response to operationl of`said compression means. p

2. A bubble dispensing gun as set forth in claim l, in which saidcompression means for emitting a forced stream of air comprises atrigger mechanism swingable about a horizontal axis and having acompression member at the end remote from said axis movable with saidtrigger mechanism into deflating compression with the expansible portionof said bulb, an air expelling tube having one end connected to thedischarge end of said bulb, said expelling tube extending forwardlythrough a substantial portion of` said barrel and having its forwardexhaust end directed toward and rearwardly spaced from said orifice, andmeans for accelerating and increasing the volume of said air stream.

3. A gun as set forth in claim 2, in which said last mentioned meanscomprises a plurality of air vents in the defining wall of said barrelsection of the gun, said vents being located rearwardly of the exhaustend of the expelling tube, the latter being located a predetermineddistance from the muzzle orifice to provide a mixing chamberintermediate said exhaust end of the tube and said muzzle in whichsuction created from the expulsion of air from said tube produces anaccelerated flow of air through said vents and into the air stream insaid mixing chamber as said air stream is being directed toward saidmuzzle orice.

4. A gun as set forth in claim 2, including an air breathing vent insaid expansible portion of said bulb, said vent being located withrespect to said compression member so that the latter covers said ventduring compression of the bulb, said vent being exposed upon release ofsaid trigger mechanism to accelerate inllation of the bulb.

5. A gun as set forth in claim l, in which said closure means comprisesa two-way valve member for opening one end of the passage and closingthe other end, said further means being operably connected to said valvemember and said compression means for simultaneously opening themagazine side of the passage and closing the muzzle side to receivetherein a predetermined quantity of liquid during compression of saidcompression means and then for closing said magazine side and openingsaid muzzle side in response to release of said compression means todischarge only said predetermined quantity of liquid into the muzzle endof the gun, said muzzle end of the gun being also provided with a valve5 8 seat at the inner end of said orifice, a gutter along the ReferencesCited in the le of this patent bottom wall leading from the two-wayvalve passage to UNITED STATES PATENTS said Valve seat at the muzzle endalong which gutter said

